Posted on

Join the Global Climate Strike!

 

People around the world will be hitting the streets on September 27 to draw attention to the growing climate crisis. PSAC encourages any members who are able, to show support for and join the Global Climate Strike.

Download the PSAC For Climate Justice poster!

With the environment emerging as a top concern for Canadians in the upcoming federal election, this strike provides us with an opportunity to drive home the call for urgent action to all political party leaders. Visit the Global Climate Strike website to find out when and where your city’s demonstration or march is taking place.

What is the Global Climate Strike?

Young people around the word have been leading the fight against climate change. They are now asking everyone to join them in the fight for their future. The strikes have been set to bookend the meeting of global leaders at the United Nations Climate Action Summit taking place September 23. Actions have been planned in 150 countries around the globe and everyone is encouraged to participate. A worldwide show of solidarity will make it clear to all leaders that we expect ambitious action against climate change, and we expect it now.

I can’t skip work, but I want to support the movement. What can I do?

We understand that not everyone has the ability to take a day off of work to join the strike, but it doesn’t mean you can’t participate and make your voice heard. Here are some ideas of how you can support the movement while on the job:

  • Share the Global Climate Strike messages on social media on your breaks. You can post selfies or group photos using the #ClimateStrike hashtag.
  • Host a presentation or lunchtime discussion to share information about the Global Climate Strike.
  • Put forward a proposal to your employer outlining how and why your workplace should join the Global Climate Strike.
  • If you have a number of colleagues who want to participate, organize a workplace action.
  • If you are able to request formal leave at your workplace, let your employer know why you are taking leave to ensure that your action builds awareness. Encourage other employees to do the same.

Visit the Global Climate Strike website to get other ideas on how you can support the movement.

Attachments:

PDF icon psac-climate-justice-lettersize.pdf

Posted on

UNE Human Rights Conference

UNE Human Rights Conference
November 14 – 17, 2019
Hilton Lac Leamy Hotel

Dear members,

The UNE Human Rights Conference is quickly approaching. We invite you to submit your application to join us in Gatineau, QC from November 14 – 17, 2019 for an exciting chance to meet with fellow Human Rights activists and discuss the many issues facing our union.

The Conference, held every three years, will feature guest speakers, educational sessions and networking opportunities for those in attendance.

In addition, elections will be held for the following:

  • National Equity Representative for Aboriginal Peoples
  • National Equity Representative for Persons with Disabilities
  • National Equity Representative for Racially Visible People
  • National Equity Representative for LGBTQ2+
  • National Equity Representative for Women
  • Four (4) Equity Group Delegates to the 2020 Triennial Convention from each group

Members must self-identify during the application process and will not be able to change or modify their equity group status at the Conference.

For a sneak-peek at what else we have in store for you, check out the Conference agenda.

During online registration, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire. Your answers will be used in the Conference selection process. Here are the questions so that you can prepare and then copy/paste your answers during registration.

Describe your experiences as a human rights activist within the union, your community and/or share your personal story (use the following guidelines as a basis for your description):

  1. How will your participation impact your Local, your Union and your community?
  2. Have you had any formal training or exposure to Human Rights issues?
  3. Describe community organization, Local or any other experience you feel is pertinent (e.g. community activism in Human Rights or social justice, Union positions held, etc.)
  4. Why are Human Rights important to you?

We ask that you register by Friday, October 4th, 2019.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE

If you are unable to register please contact our UNE events staff at events@une-sen.org.

Posted on

UNE Multiculturalism Day

Each year, our members celebrate our union’s diversity on August 14. We encourage you to take this opportunity to find out more about the rich cultural mosaic that surrounds us in our workplaces and in our communities!

Posted on

National Indigenous Peoples Day

National Indigenous Peoples Day is on June 21. Celebrate with activities such as attending a pow wow, eating traditional food and learning about Indigenous peoples. You can find information and event listings online.

I invite you to open your mind and heart to learn the truth, facts, history, current events. Read a report or book, watch a movie on the subject, perform your own research. Do you now about the treaties and their legacy? Do you know why the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Inquiry Final Report uses the word “genocide”? Do you know the definition of genocide and how it fits? Would you rather avert your attention? I would, but that would mean that nothing would improve. Do you know the 4 main areas identified in the MMIWG report? Do you understand why Indigenous peoples are called “stewards of the land”?

I am very happy to have finally pieced my teachings together to reveal this. I encourage you to do the same. The original peoples of this land and the settlers made treaties that exist today, for the most part. The post-treaty relationship has been shameful, hurtful but it can be fixed if enough of us are willing to look at the truth and make the needed changes suggested in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry. These are a few of the resources that we may use.

It is a long, daunting journey that we each make, or hinder. Being curious and believing in fairness and justice, I want my children to have a better, healthier community relationship than is possible today. The truth hurts but that is where the healing begins. My mind and heart are open. If yours are not, will you at the least open your ears?

With respect,

Ruby Langan
National Equity Representative for Aboriginal Peoples

Posted on

PSAC welcomes powerful report of inquiry on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls

The Public Service Alliance of Canada welcomes and is encouraged by the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

The report, released in a special ceremony on June 3, has called the violence against Indigenous women and girls a “Canadian genocide” and includes extensive recommendations aimed at government, the police, and the Canadian public.

According to Chief Commissioner Marion Buller, there must be a “paradigm shift” to decolonize Canadian society and all Indigenous communities must be resourced and funded sufficiently to bring social and economic security to all. The report makes a distinction between the unique experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Metis, as well as Indigenous 2SLGBTQQIA (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual) people.

The report concludes that “these abuses and violations have resulted in the denial of safety, security, and human dignity.”

Sweeping recommendations

The report contains 231 recommendations to address the violence against Indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

Importantly, these include two of the main asks of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, supported by PSAC’s Red Dress campaign: a national action plan to stop the violence, and that Indigenous peoples, including families and survivors, be included in developing and implementing a national action plan.

Other recommendations include:

  • Implementation of international instruments that the government has ratified
  • Creation of a National Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson and a National Indigenous and Human Rights Tribunal
  • A national action plan to ensure equitable access to employment, clean water, housing, education, safety, and health care
  • Guaranteed income for all Indigenous peoples
  • Long-term funding for education programs and awareness campaigns related to violence prevention
  • Recognition of Indigenous languages as an official language, with the same status, recognition and protection as French and English
  • Major reforms to the justice system and policing to ensure these cases are addressed more seriously by the justice system
  • Legislated paid leave and disability benefits and “appropriate trauma care” to Indigenous victims of crime or other traumatic events
  • Developing an effective response to human trafficking cases and sexual exploitation and violence

At the release ceremony, Commissioner Buller called on ALL Canadians to:

  1. Read the report
  2. Speak out against racism, sexism, and violence
  3. Hold governments to account
  4. Decolonize yourself by learning about the true history of Canada

PSAC has been calling for action

PSAC members and activists have spent more than a decade advocating and rallying for a serious investigation into the fact that more that more than 1,200 Indigenous women and girls have been murdered or gone missing since 1980. Our members can be proud of the work they have done to gain justice for Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

PSAC will review the report and the recommendations in their entirety and provide more information in the coming weeks.

PSAC encourages all of our members and all Canadians to read this report as part of the reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples of this country.

Read the Report here

Source: PSAC

Posted on

Filipino Heritage Month

Mabuhay! (In the Filipino language Tagalog, mabuhay means “long live”)

In the early 1970s my mother and auntie immigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from the Philippines in hopes of finding a better future. Born and raised as a Filipino Canadian, I am beyond blessed for the sacrifices that they made for our family. I am sure many people in Canada can relate to my family story.

Filipino immigration began late compared to other nationalities. In fact, records of Filipino immigrants in Canada were found in the 1930s and were in small numbers. In the 1990s there was an increase in immigration from the Philippines. Opportunities to work and live as caregivers across Canada opened many doors. As a result, more began to settle in major Canadian cities, such as Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

The goal for many Filipinos was to bring their immediate families to Canada. An individual would arrive as a temporary worker, leaving their spouse and children behind. Reunions would occur with their families in Canada as soon as permanent residency was achieved. Filipinos, along with many other Asian Canadians, contribute to the country’s economy greatly.

Many individuals from the Filipino community have made a profound impact on the Canadian society. In 2012, Canada’s first Filipino senator, the late Tobias C. Enverga Jr. was appointed. As a member of the Senate, one of his primary focuses was to advocate for people with Down Syndrome, a condition that one of his daughters had. Rey Pagtakhan, another Filipino Canadian was first elected to Parliament in 1988. He also served as the Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) from 2001 to 2002. Today, many Filipinos in Canada continue to shape the country’s character and heritage in more ways than ever before.

Filipino Heritage Month takes place every June and is a month-long celebration. It was declared in Canada on October 30, 2018, in the Filipino Heritage Month Act, 2017. It is significant to acknowledge that the declaration of the Filipino Heritage Month was initiated by Paulina Corpuz of Toronto, Ontario, through a petition. From coast to coast to coast, throughout all regions of Canada, I encourage you and your families to attend events, join activities, try different Filipino cuisine, share stories, learn the language, and celebrate the special relationship between the Filipino people and Canada.

Salamat! (In the Filipino language Tagalog, salamat means “thank you”)

Jacqueline Nanali
Regional Representative for Human Rights, Manitoba

Posted on

Racial Discrimination: a Deadly Poison

By Ralph Daguilh

Hello fellow activists!

March 21 is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. These past few days, I could not help but think about what March 21 means to racialized people. I thought about the xenophobic comments and policies of the President of USA – I reflected on the ways African French soccer players were discriminated and undervalued during last year’s World Cup. I even thought about the backlash that Naomi Osaka suffered when she won against Serena Williams – Anyway, my list is endless….

Racial discrimination is very much alive in our communities and workplaces. I am frustrated that racial discrimination is very subtle and can’t always be proven. The victim suffers in silence! Racial discrimination destroys the victim’s wellbeing and empowers the perpetrator – it is a silent killer and can have long lasting impacts on the victim and entourage!

In 2014, I witnessed with agony and tears my dear friend, John, a racialized person, experiencing racial discrimination. He was well trained to do the job shortly after he started working in his department. John successfully competed for a position; therefore, he should have gotten the job. Surprisingly, it never happened. The position was given to somebody else and John was left with no true explanation! Our local got involved with no success because management had already made their decision. John filed a grievance but lost because it was said “there is no evidence to prove that he was racially discriminated against”. I am still puzzled until today! Did my friend not get the position because of his skin colour? his accent? Or his religion? Even though the case happened a while ago, I still think of the emotional impacts the whole situation had on John, his family and friends. John must work two jobs to support his family. Therefore, not only has he less time to spent with his family, but he also must share his energy and skills between two Jobs.

It hurts a lot to be discriminated against – I am sure my friend John is not the only one to experience that.

The worst part is the victims of discrimination still have to find the courage and the energy, 5 days a week, to smile at their coworkers, and continue to provide the highest possible quality of service.

Racial discrimination is a poison: it diminishes individuals, perpetuates inequality, feeds anger, hatred, bitterness and violence. It can also lead to all kind of sickness and mental illness.

For my friend, after 5 years of patiently waiting for an opportunity to arise in his department, he decided to create his own. Slowly but surely, he took online courses to better himself and his education. Today he has his degree and more!

However, this is not the best way of dealing with racial discrimination, my friend chose that way because he has a very young family to feed and a mortgage to pay. When face with racial discrimination, stay focused, gather strength from your family, friends and allies and fight back!

I know, together, we can do it! The road to win a fight against racial discrimination is not an easy one. It is like climbing a tall mountain. The top seems unreachable. However, never give up, never give in and never stay silent!

Survey shows that racialized people are hired for entry level positions despite their qualifications and education; 80% of them remain at that entry level until they retire. They are underused. Racialized members represent numbers or quota to be filled by the employer.

My friends, racial discrimination will not disappear overnight. In my opinion, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination should be an every day talk. The fight against racism and all forms of discrimination is a mainstay of peace and social cohesion, especially in our increasingly diverse communities and workplaces. Let’s learn to live and work together!

Ralph Daguilh
Alternate to the UNE National Equity Representative for Racially Visible People

Sources:

http://www.un.org/en/events/racialdiscriminationday/background.shtml

https://gryphlife.uoguelph.ca/event/87491

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247565_eng

Posted on

International Women’s Day, March 8 – #BalanceforBetter

March 8 is International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is #BalanceforBetter, promoting a more gender-balanced world, where women’s actions and accomplishments are valued and recognized.

Canada is far from being from a gender-balanced society. However, there have been a few improvements for the past few years. In the federal public sector, the current government has put a large emphasis on gender equality. Part of the new Department for Women and Gender Equality’s mandate, whose workers are UNE members, is the “government-wide implementation of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+)”. It is going to take years before the various federal departments fully adopt that public policy approach and before we can observe the impact of GBA+.

A lot of work remains to be done at the community level as well, where women can thrive both economically and in leadership positions. A recent report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) focuses on gender gaps in Canada’s 26 most populated cities. Based on four criteria, “economic security”, “education”, “health”, “leadership” and “security”, they ranked the cities where a lot of UNE members live and work. The top 3 cities where the gender gap is the lowest are:

1. Kingston, ON
2. St. John’s, NL
3. Victoria, BC

The Labour movement also needs to reflect on the reality of a persistent gender gap in leadership roles. As part of promoting leadership roles for women within our Union, UNE delegates voted on an important resolution at the 2017 Triennial Convention. The first UNE Women’s Conference will be organized in the fall of 2019. UNE female activists will gather to share ideas and experiences, and learn from each other to develop Union leadership skills.

Together, in our roles as Union activists, UNE members continue to contribute to building inclusive communities and are promoting gender equality.

There are many Labour events on March 8. Take part in an International Women’s Day event in your community!

Posted on

The Legacy of a Woman: Viola Desmond

By Céline Ahodékon

February is Black History Month (BHM) in Canada. Every February, Canadians are invited to participate in BHM festivities and events that honour the legacy of Black Canadians, past and present.

In December 1995, the House of Commons officially recognized February as BHM in Canada following a motion introduced by Jean Augustine, the first Black Canadian woman elected to Parliament.

People of African descent have been part of shaping Canada’s heritage and identity since the arrival of Mathieu Da Costa, a navigator and interpreter, whose presence in Canada dates back to the early 1600s. Many Loyalists who came to Canada from the States in the early 1800s were also Black people and most of them settled in Africville, Nova Scotia. As Canadian soldiers, Black Canadians made many sacrifices in wartime as far back as the War of 1812.

People of African descent contributed fully to the development of the Canadian society. Lawyers, doctors, politicians, teachers, hair dressers, barbers, just to name a few, were Black people. However, life wasn’t always easy for them. Black communities faced discrimination, racism, hatred and racial segregation.

In 1846, Viola Desmond took a stand for what she believed in, social justice: “Viola Irene Desmond was a Canadian businesswoman of Black Nova Scotian descent. In 1946 she challenged racial segregation at a cinema in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia by refusing to leave a whites-only area of the Roseland Theatre. For this she was convicted of a minor tax violation for the one-cent tax difference between the seat she had paid for and the seat she used. Desmond’s case is one of the most publicized incidents of racial discrimination in Canadian history. Her case helped start the modern civil rights movement in Canada”.

Viola Desmond’s courageous refusal to accept racial discrimination that day has shaped Canada’s history. In 2018, the Bank of Canada issued a new $10 bill featuring her likeness. This is the very first time ever in Canadian history that a Canadian woman, a racialized woman, and her story are featured on the money we all carry every day.

Viola Desmond is teaching all of us to do what is right! Stand up for those who face discrimination and unjust treatment. Speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. Her story is also a rich proof that Black Canadians, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, inclusive, compassionate and prosperous nation it is today.

Brothers, Sisters and fellow activists, I hope that when you see the $10 bill you will reflect on Viola’s story and stand up, and fight injustice and systemic discrimination. Let’s fight for human rights and social justice, and equality. These are paramount in the advancement of a healthy society and we all need to do our part. Please take time to celebrate and learn more about people of African descent and their contributions to society. There are many activities organized across the country to celebrate BHM.

Happy Black History Month!

Céline Ahodékon is the UNE National Equity Representative for Racially Visible People.

Posted on

We Don’t Say…

The UNE Human Rights Committee is proud to launch its series of “We Don’t Say” photos with messages from members highlighting language that marginalizes the five UNE equity groups: LGBTQ2+ people, women, persons with disabilities, aboriginal peoples and racialized persons. The committee was inspired by the Duke University students’ “You Don’t Say” campaign that gained popularity on Twitter. Since its debut in 2015, other university student associations have also jumped on board.

Kate Hart, UNE Assistant National Vice-President for Human Rights, brought the project to the attention of the UNE Human Rights Committee. “This campaign is great for UNE members because it is so inclusive,” said Hart. “Our proud union members have taken the opportunity to be featured in this project and we were pleasantly surprised by how many people wanted to participate. We also learned a great deal about each other because many voiced issues that were dear to them – issues such as suicide, racism and mental health. There are words related to these that feed stigmas or offend us or hurt us emotionally. Our hope is that the photos and their messages will help us educate one another.”

The photos will be posted on social media platforms including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook every month. We encourage you to share them with your family, friends and colleagues.

For more information, contact the UNE Human Rights Committee.